Department for Transport

Railways: Season Tickets

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the introduction of the flexible season ticket for commuters, what market research they undertook to inform this policy; whether they sought any guidance from marketing experts; what plans they have to publish this market research; and what assessment they have made of the impact of reducing the number of cars commuting into towns and cities on decisions about future rail fare levels.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department for Transport commissioned quantitative and qualitative research to assess potential interest in flexible season tickets amongst rail users and non-users. The Department plans to publish the research in due course.

East Coast Railway Line

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what cost-benefit analysis they have made of (1) the access improvements to London King's Cross Railway Station, (2) the rail modifications at Werrington Junction, and (3) the upgrading of the power supplies on the East Coast Main Line, with particular reference to journey times.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Cost-benefit analysis of the individual upgrades has not been made. However, an assessment of the wider package of enhancements on the East Coast Mainline (ECML), of which the improvements at King’s Cross and Werrington and the power supply upgrades are contributary components, was conducted in 2018. This presented a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 3.6. This BCR will be reappraised once the content of the new ECML timetable, planned for introduction in May 2022, has been finalised. This major timetable uplift will provide faster journey times across the route, with improvements of 15 minutes between London and Edinburgh, and 5 minutes between London and Leeds.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Offshore Industry: Skilled Workers

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by Platform, Friends of the Earth Scotland and Greenpeace UK Training & Tickets: the hidden costs for offshore oil & gas workers, published on 22 June, what steps they are taking to create a training passport scheme to allow offshore workers to transfer their experience between sectors.

Lord Callanan: The North Sea Transition Deal includes a commitment from industry to create an integrated people and skills plan, with measurable objectives, to support its transition and diversification. This will assess the industry’s future skills, training and standards requirements, and how industry will support and enable the transition of the workforce.Furthermore, the sector has committed to work to ensure that the workforce’s skills and competencies are mutually recognised across energy sectors enabling easier job transferability. This includes promoting the uptake of relevant existing initiatives, such as the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board Connected Competence scheme and expand these as appropriate.In order to ensure we have the skilled workforce to deliver net zero, we have launched the Green Jobs Taskforce, working in partnership with business, skills providers, and trade unions, to help us develop plans for new long-term, good quality, green jobs by 2030 and advise on what support is needed for people in transitioning industries.In addition, the offshore wind sector set out a commitment, in the Offshore Wind Sector Deal, to develop an offshore energy passport (recognised outside the UK) to facilitate job mobility between different sectors. Discussions with training providers is ongoing.We are powering forward with my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan, which will mobilise £12 billion of government investment to support up to 250,000 highly-skilled green jobs in the UK.

Department of Health and Social Care

Hospitals: Hygiene

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to address the level of adherence to proper hand hygiene in (1) hospitals, and (2) other care settings.

Lord Bethell: NHS England’s guide Standard infection control precautions: national hand hygiene and personal protective equipment policy, specifies what standard infection control precautions, including hand hygiene, are to be adhered to by all staff in all care settings, at all times and for all patients. A copy of the guide is attached.Implementation of and adherence to hand hygiene policy by providers of healthcare is monitored locally, regionally and nationally by standard contractual and regulatory processes. In addition, the Care Quality Commission conducts regular inspections of hospitals to confirm compliance with and adherence to current regulations, legislation and good practice recommendations.National Policy on Hand Hygiene and PPE (pdf, 149.9KB)

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend toprotect immunocompromised individuals from COVID-19 as cases rise in areas of England.

Lord Bethell: Those who are immunocompromised were either classed as clinically extremely vulnerable and included in priority group four, or as being at increased clinical risk and therefore included in priority group six within phase one of the COVID-19 vaccine programme. Research continues into looking at vaccine efficacy rates in this group.Work has also continued in developing alternative antiviral and therapeutic therapies. The new Antivirals Taskforce aims to identify effective treatments for patients, including those who are immunocompromised, who have been exposed to the virus to prevent the spread of infection and increase recovery time. Immunocompromised individuals are also a priority cohort for research into therapeutic and prophylaxis treatments such as monoclonal antibody therapies, novel antivirals and repurposed compounds.A wide range of treatments are currently in clinical trials in the United Kingdom and the Government is monitoring trials worldwide. It is not yet possible to determine the exact patient groups who may be able to benefit, as this will depend on the results of the trials, licensing approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and deployment planning between the Department, NHS England and expert clinicians. The Government is taking steps to ensure supply of treatments in the event that they are found to be effective at treating COVID-19, including for immunocompromised individuals. The Government continues to monitor the situation and will update the established guidance where necessary.

Employment: Coronavirus

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with employers regarding the safety of immunocompromised clinically extremely vulnerable groups in relation to their return to work.

Lord Bethell: The Government has collaborated with businesses, business representative organisations and trade unions to produce guidance to employers on how they can make workplaces COVID-19 safe, including how they can maintain social distancing and a system of risk management in their workplace. The guidance, Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19), which is available in an online only format, sets out the guidance for employers to take to operate safely in fourteen different work settings.Within each work setting, employers should make sure suitable arrangements are in place so that their vulnerable employees can work safely, provide mental health and wellbeing support to staff and they should consider whether clinically extremely vulnerable individuals can take on an alternative role or change their working patterns temporarily to avoid travelling during busy periods.

Environmental Health

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the role of environmental health professionals has been included in the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care's plans for reforming Public Health England and other public health related functions.

Lord Bethell: We have made no proposals in our public health reforms to make changes to the role of local environmental health professionals.

Coronavirus: Cornwall

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment theyhave made of the reasons for the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in Cornwall.

Lord Bethell: Mobility reporting data has shown a large increase in visitors to Cornwall and a rise in the dominance of the more transmissible delta variant of the virus during the same time period. In particular, there has been an increase in case rates in the 15 to 24 year old age group, which is in line with national trends on higher case rates in unvaccinated age groups and age groups yet to acquire full immunity from the vaccine.

Ivermectin

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Ivermectin isbeing considered to treat mild cases of COVID-19.

Lord Bethell: On 23 June, the PRINCIPLE clinical trial platform in the United Kingdom announced that ivermectin would be investigated to generate robust data on its effectiveness in treating adults aged 18 years old and over with mild COVID-19 who are at higher risk of developing serious illness. We will closely monitor the data from this trial, as well as emerging clinical trials worldwide to expand our evidence-base on the efficacy of ivermectin in treating COVID-19.

Mental Health Services

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the outcome of the review commissioned by NHS England into services provided by Serenity Integrated Mentoring.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to establish an independent review into the work of Serenity Integrated Mentoring.

Lord Bethell: NHS England and NHS Improvement have written to the medical directors of National Health Service mental health trusts asking them to review the implementation of Serenity Integrated Mentoring and similar models in trusts, in partnership with local patient representatives and those who might have been in the care of such models. It is too soon to know the outcome of these reviews. Once completed, NHS England and NHS Improvement intend to gather learning from these local reviews, to inform the expansion and transformation of community and crisis care services for adults and older adults with mental health needs as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. We have no plans to establish an independent review.

Travel: Quarantine

Lord Oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people arriving from red list countries subject to hotel quarantine and who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 have tested positive for that virus.

Lord Oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government how manypeople arriving from amber list countries subject to home quarantine and who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 have tested positive for that virus.

Lord Bethell: This information is not collected centrally.

Health: Disadvantaged

Lord Crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that Integrated Care Systems (1) adopt, and (2) support, health creation.

Lord Bethell: Many of the principles of ‘health creation’ align with the proposals for integrated care systems (ICS) we have set out in the Health and Care White Paper Bill, in particular by improving the role of community and place-based working by ensuring that health and social care services are delivered in a way that works best for a local area and their population. ICSs will strengthen partnerships between the National Health Service and local authorities and with local partners, including groups representing the public and patient perspective, the voluntary sector and wider public service provision.

Patients

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the source of their figure that500,000 adults in England are immunocompromised; whether figures for immunocompromised adults are collated at a UK level; and if so, what are the equivalent figures for (1) Northern Ireland, (2) Scotland, and (3) Wales.

Lord Bethell: The figure quoted was an early Departmental estimate of the size of the vulnerable immunocompromised cohort in England. This represented patients on the Shielded Patient List with conditions which can be associated with being immunocompromised. The Department is currently working to establish an updated figure for the size of the immunocompromised cohort in England. Information for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is not held as this is a devolved matter.

Influenza: Vaccination

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were vaccinatedagainst the common flu in the past 12 months; and how this figure compares with the previous 12 months.

Lord Bethell: The following table shows the number of people who were vaccinated during the seasonal influenza vaccination programme in 2019/20 and 2020/21. The figures are not directly comparable as the immunisation programme was expanded to more cohorts in 2020/21.2020/20212019/202019,158,90114,468,665Source:‘Seasonal influenza vaccine uptake in GP patients: winter season 2020 to 2021. Final data for 1 September 2020 to 28 February 2021’ Public Health England

NHS: Negligence

Baroness Thornton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthey intend to publish a consultation on fixed recovery costs for clinical negligence claims; and if so, when.

Lord Bethell: We are developing proposals to introduce fixed recoverable costs for clinical negligence claims under the value of £25,000. We plan to consult on these measures in due course.

Coronavirus

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent COVID-19 forecasting by the team at Imperial College London, led by Professor Neil Ferguson.

Lord Bethell: The Department has made no overall assessment.

Care Homes: Visits

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the changes in their guidance on the number of visitors permissible to care homes on 17 May, what steps they are taking to provide care homes with additional resources to support any increase in the number of visitors to such homes.

Lord Bethell: Throughout the pandemic, we have provided almost £2 billion in specific funding for adult social care. This consists of the Infection Control Fund, the Rapid Testing Fund and the Workforce Capacity Fund.The Government will continue to monitor COVID-19 pressures on the sector and will keep future funding under review.

Department for Education

Education: Coronavirus

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what long-term policies they are followingto ensure that those affected by disrupted education during the COVID-19 pandemic are able to catch up on lost tuition and missed schooling.

Baroness Berridge: The government recognises that extended school and college restrictions have had a substantial impact on children and young people’s education and are committed to helping pupils catch up.Since June 2020, the department has invested £3 billion to support education recovery. This will have a material impact in closing gaps that have emerged. This funding includes:£1.5 billion for a national tutoring revolution which will allow us to provide up to 6 million tutoring courses of 15 hours of tutoring for 5-16 year olds by 2024, and the equivalent of 2 million 15-hour courses for 16-19 year olds by 2024£400 million to help to provide 500,000 teacher training opportunities across the country, alongside professional development for early years practitioners£200 million for secondary schools to deliver face to face summer schools this summer, giving secondary pupils access to enrichment activities, such as games, music, drama and sports that they have missed out on over the COVID-19 outbreak£650 million universal catch up premium for schools this year to use to prioritise support for all pupils, and a £302 million recovery premium next year which includes £22 million to scale up proven approaches, building on the pupil premium, to further support pupils who need it most£17 million on the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, improving the language skills of Reception age children who need it mostIn addition, schools or colleges will be able to offer students in Year 13 a repeat year where they have been particularly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.The government is committed to an ambitious, long-term education recovery plan and the next stage will include a review of time spent in school and college and the impact this could have on helping children and young people to catch up. The findings of the review will be set out later in the year to inform the spending review. The department will also be continuing to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on education.

Educational Institutions: Visual Impairment

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made the report by the Vision Impairment Centre for Teaching and Research at the University of Birmingham Lost in Transition? The post-school experiences of young people with vision impairment, published on 18 June; and what steps they are taking to ensure that all educational institutions are accessible for those with visual impairments.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: HM government believes it is important that students with disabilities receive the appropriate level of support wherever and whatever they choose to study, and is committed to ensuring that they all receive the support they need to enable them to study alongside their fellow students on an equal basis.The Equality Act 2010 sets out the legal obligations that schools, early years providers, post-16 institutions, local authorities, and others have towards children and young people with disabilities.All schools have duties under the Equality Act 2010 towards individual children and young people with disabilities. They must make reasonable adjustments, including the provision of auxiliary aids and services, to prevent them being put at a substantial disadvantage.Schools must publish accessibility plans and local authorities must publish accessibility strategies setting out how they plan to increase access for pupils with disabilities to the curriculum, the physical environment, and information. These duties are anticipatory – they require thought to be given in advance to what children and young people with disabilities might require and what adjustments might need to be made to prevent that disadvantage.The government expects all higher education (HE) providers to fulfil their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to be making reasonable adjustments for all higher education students with disabilitiesWherever possible, students with disabilities should expect to have their needs met through inclusive learning practices and individual reasonable adjustments made by their HE providers.In terms of funding, the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) is available in addition to the standard support package to help students with the additional costs they may face in higher education because of their disability.DSA is not means-tested and does not have to be repaid. It is available to full-time and part-time students at undergraduate and postgraduate level, alongside support available from HE providers, and in line with the recommendations of the student’s DSA Needs Assessment.

Apprentices: Carbon Emissions

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to review whether apprenticeship standards are fit for purpose to contribute to the net zero economy.

Baroness Berridge: The Green Apprenticeship Advisory Panel (GAAP) was convened by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (the Institute) in January 2021 to ensure the right skills are in place for the future workforce to deliver the green technology shift the UK needs. It works closely with the Green Jobs Taskforce set up by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the department to ensure that all actions are aligned. The GAAP is supported by the green apprenticeship advisory community by providing sector-specific expertise when required.We have already identified 15 occupations directly aligned to the green economy, including Ecologist, Arborist and Environmental Practitioner, as well as a further 29 that are supportive of the green economy, including some in the digital, Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, and project management spheres.The Institute is prioritising the development of green apprenticeship standards, mapping green jobs to current standards and working with employers where an occupational gap is identified to ensure standards are available and are responsive to employer need. We will continue to ensure apprenticeships support new and emerging occupations and that employers in the green economy can benefit from apprenticeships.

Care Homes: Children

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply byBaroness Berridge on 21 June (HL Deb, col 14), what is the average annual cost of a place in a (1) children’s home, and (2) boarding school.

Baroness Berridge: A summary of a project commissioned by the department to understand fees paid by local authorities for children’s homes in England was published in November 2020. It can be found at this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/analytical-associate-pool-summary-of-projects.This reports a mean average fee for children’s homes of £3,962 per week.The department does not collect data on the cost of boarding schools for children in care.

Digital Technology: Disadvantaged

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by UNICEF and the Carnegie UK Trust Closing the Digital Divide for Good: An end to the digital exclusion of children in the UK, published on 21 June.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to undertake a mapping exercise to collect data on the numbers of children who are digitally excluded, and (2) to publish the reasons for such exclusion.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to establish a long-term plan for education focused on digital inclusion for every child in England.

Baroness Berridge: Building on the government’s £400 million investment in devices, connectivity, training and support for remote access to education and children’s social care services during the COVID-19 outbreak, the department is developing an evidence-based and strategic approach for technology use in the education sector. We will explore options that create a more resilient, digitally enabled system. This approach will include consideration of devices and the infrastructure and capability required to make the best use of these devices. The department will take into account the recommendations of the UNICEF report in developing this strategy. We may need to prioritise our interventions and will take an evidence based and user-centred approach in collaboration with industry and experts.The department’s strategy will align with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s top ten priorities for technology. We continue to work closely with them as the lead department on digital inclusion, and through their relationship with Ofcom for data on availability of technology in homes in England.

Apprentices

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the National Foundation for Educational Research Putting Apprenticeships to Work for Young People, published on 16 June; and what steps they are taking to increase apprenticeship course start rates outside of London.

Baroness Berridge: The government recognises the challenges that the COVID-19 outbreak has caused for young people who are looking to enter the labour market and to small-medium enterprises (SMEs) who want to recruit an apprentice, as highlighted in the National Foundation for Education Research report. Through our Plan for Jobs, we are committed to providing young people with the tools they need to begin and progress in their careers. We are supporting businesses across the country to meet their skills needs, now and in the future.Through our apprenticeship support and knowledge programme, we are promoting apprenticeships in schools across the country and providing free resources and interventions to encourage young people to undertake an apprenticeship.We are supporting the largest-ever expansion of traineeships to ensure that more young people have access to high-quality training to develop the skills, experience, and confidence to obtain an apprenticeship. We have started to deliver the first-ever occupational traineeships developed alongside trade bodies and employers in construction and rail engineering. We will continue to create more occupational traineeship opportunities in the adult care sector over the summer. These occupational traineeships will be aligned to apprenticeship standards and will significantly increase opportunities for young people to progress into apprenticeships or other employment. To support employers who are offering traineeship placements we have extended the £1,000 incentive payment until July 2022.The Kickstart Scheme is investing £2 billion to create hundreds of thousands of high quality 6 month work placements for eligible 16–24 year olds. We are working with the Department for Work and Pensions to support young people on Kickstart placements to progress to apprenticeships where this is right for them and their employers.SMEs will play a key role in increasing apprenticeship opportunities for young people as we rebuild from the effects of COVID-19. As of 1 April, all new apprenticeship starts will be through the apprenticeship service. This will give SMEs more control over their apprenticeship choices and give them the ability to reserve funds before choosing the provider that best meets their needs. In August, we will also introduce a new online service to help levy paying employers find SMEs to transfer their levy funds to support apprenticeships in their supply chains and help to meet local and regional skills needs.We have seen more employers across the country recruiting apprentices outside of London. Since May 2010, there have been over 578,980 more apprenticeship starts in the North of England (North East, North West & Yorkshire) than London and South East. We continue to encourage employers of all sizes across England to take on new apprentices by increasing the incentive payment to £3,000 for every new apprentice they hire until 31 September 2021.

Ministry of Justice

Gender Recognition

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to revise the policy frameworkThe Care and Management of Individuals Who are Transgender, published in January 2020.

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a review ofThe Care and Management of Individuals who are Transgender, published January 2020, is underway; and if so, what is the status of that review.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The Ministry of Justice and Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service policy framework 'The Care and Management of Individuals who are Transgender' was published in 2019. A routine review of the implementation of this framework is underway. The review will involve consultation with a range of internal and external stakeholders. We will always ensure that transgender individuals are managed safely with their rights properly respected and in accordance with the law. We continue to consider all known risk factors when managing transgender offenders, including any risk to the person, risk to others and risk of self-harm.

Divorce: Finance

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their commitment in March 2020 to conduct a review into the law relating to financial remedies on divorce, what progress they have made with that review.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: As the Government confirmed on 22 January 2021, it has previously committed to set up a Lord Chancellor’s working group to assess any evidence for changing the law of financial provision on divorce and dissolution. The Government will announce its intentions in due course. Our current priority is to conclude the complex and important work, which is now far advanced, to implement reforms to divorce law in April next year through the provisions of the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020. The Government believes that this is a vital first step in reducing conflict.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Environmental Health: Disease Control

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to establish a Chief Environmental Health Officer role (1) to ensure links to local government environmental health teams, and (2) to contribute to the pandemic prevention agenda andother pandemic-related work.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Department convened the Regulatory Services Task and Finish Group in December 2020 to help coordinate central government’s expectation of regulatory services teams in local government and propose short and long-term options to support the sector. The Group consists of senior officials from government departments and senior representatives from the Local Government Association and local authorities.   The Group is now focussed on developing a suite of recommendations to address the immediate and systemic issues faced by regulatory services teams, which includes environmental health teams. These recommendations will address areas including the cross-government coordination of departments and the establishment of ongoing links with local authority experts.

Ministry of Defence

Navy: Black Sea

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government which media representatives were aboard HMS Defender in the Black Sea on 23 June; andwhat was the reason fortheir invitation.

Baroness Goldie: The BBC and Daily Mail defence correspondents were aboard HMS Defender on 23 June. The Ministry of Defence regularly grants access for media outlets to military operations. The practice of embedding journalists on military operations has been commonplace for decades as this helps facilitate independent reporting on defence activity and matters of national and international security.

Armed Forces: Northern Ireland

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of deploying British armed forces personnel to Northern Ireland in response to the opposition to the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.

Baroness Goldie: The policing of all public order and protest events within Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI). The UK Government will continue to work closely with the PSNI. The safety and security of Northern Ireland remains our key commitment. Further policing support required by them would be provided via mutual aid support from other UK police forces. Defence would only provide support following a request from the PSNI via the well-established MACA (mutual aid to civil authority) process once mutual aid from other police forces had been exhausted, or if the support requested required niche capability not held by police forces within the UK. Defence has not received any request from PSNI to support them in relation to the Northern Ireland Protocol. Until such a request is made by the PSNI no assessment or planning on this issue will be undertaken by the MOD.

Armed Forces Covenant: Gurkhas

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherBritish Army Gurkha veterans living in (1) the UK, and (2) Nepal, are covered by the Armed Forces Covenant.

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what provision hasbeen made to vaccinate British Army Gurkha veterans living in Nepal.

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they considerthe differential treatment of the vaccination of British Army Gurkha Veterans living in Nepal compared to their UK based counterparts as a breach of the Armed Forces Covenant.

Baroness Goldie: We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Nepal during this pandemic. The UK has an enduring defence relationship with Nepal and their Armed Forces. We were one of the first countries to send life-saving medical equipment to Nepal, including 260 ventilators and thousands of pieces of personal protective equipment, to help the country’s fight against Covid-19. The UK is also one of the leading donors to COVAX, having committed £548million to the scheme. COVAX has allocated 2,000,000 vaccine doses to Nepal, of which 348,000 have already been delivered and we understand another tranche will arrive by August. UK aid to the Gurkha Welfare Trust has also ensured access to life-saving support and supplies to Gurkha veterans and their communities throughout the pandemic. Their distinguished service is a source of immense pride in both our countries. The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation that those who serve, or have served, in the Armed Forces, and their families, will be treated fairly and will not be disadvantaged in accessing public and commercial goods and services in the UK as a result of their military service. The Covenant is there for the Armed Forces Community as a whole, which includes everyone who has previously served in the UK Armed Forces. But the purpose of the Covenant is to address disadvantage that is attributable to the effects of someone’s time in service. Disadvantage in this context principally concerns access to goods and services available in the UK, and it is usually measured in comparison to the levels of access enjoyed by the local civilian population

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

North Korea: Religious Freedom

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the status of freedom of religion or belief in North Korea; andwhat plans they have to introducemeasures (1) to deter, and (2) to provide accountability for, violations of the freedom of religion and belief inthat country under the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020 where evidence of violations of international law linked to named perpetrators is available.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK has deep concerns about the lack of freedom of religion or belief in North Korea. While the DPRK constitution allows religious belief as long as it does not attract foreign intervention or disrupt social order, in practice, Christians hide their faith and worship in secret for fear of being caught and persecuted. Defending the right to freedom of religion or belief for all is a priority for the UK Government and we remain committed to implementing the recommendations from the Bishop of Truro's independent Review on persecuted Christians in full. One of those recommendations related to the establishment of the UK's Global Human Rights sanctions regime, which came into effect on 6 July 2020 and allows us to designate those who commit serious human rights abuses or violations, including those who target individuals on the grounds of their religion or belief. We take decisions about whether particular individuals or entities could be subject to measures under the regime on a caseby-case basis. We have already designated two entities involved in administering the North Korean penal system.

North Korea: Religious Freedom

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the accounts of torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment by Ministry of State Security officials against North Korean religious adherents in the report by Korea Future Persecuting Faith: Documenting religious freedom violations in North Korea, published in October 2020; and in particularthat report's findings that (1) a Christian was tortured by state officials, (2) a Christian was starved in detention, and (3) 32 Ministry of State Security officials associated with human rights violations against religious and belief adherents have been identified in the North Korean Religious Freedom Database.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is deeply concerned by reports from North Korean escapees, which tell of serious human rights offences and persecution of those who are caught practising religion. We regularly engage and seek ways to support the work of NGOs on DPRK human rights, including Korea Future Initiative whose report contains disturbing accounts of violations of freedoms in North Korea. Under the Global Human Rights (GHR) sanctions regime which came into effect on 6 July 2020, the UK has already designated two entities involved in administering the DPRK penal system: the DPRK's Ministry of State Security (Bureau 7) and the Ministry of People's Security (Correctional Bureau) are now subject to an asset freeze and a travel ban.

Religious Freedom: Human Rights and Torture

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their commitment to promote freedom of religion or belief overseas inGlobal Britain in a Competitive Age: the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, published on 16 March, what plans they have to hold state actors to account for cases of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK believes torture is an abhorrent violation of human rights and that it has a devastating impact on both individuals and societies. We work bilaterally to raise specific cases of concern as appropriate and take regular action on the international stage, including through the UN Security Council and the G7 to press countries to improve their record on human rights, including on torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. The UK proudly partners with world-leading NGOs, such as the Association for the Prevention of Torture, to support torture prevention initiatives globally.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Ministry of Defence: Staff

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government how manyofficials are working on the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in (1) the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and (2) the Ministry of Defence.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Officials in the FDCO and MOD, centrally and across the global network, work collectively to deliver strategic outcomes as part of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda and wider work. Given the breadth of the WPS agenda and global focus, information on the number of officials working on this issue is not held centrally.

Indonesia: Refugees

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) number, and (2) treatment, of refugees in Indonesia, in particular those in Java; and whatsteps they are taking to support the government of Indonesia with any such refugees.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: There are 13,700 refugees registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Indonesia. Whilst the refugees are spread across the archipelago, including 81 Rohingya that landed by boat in Sumatra this year, up to half are based in the Jakarta area. We are working with international partners in Indonesia, including UNHCR, International Red Cross and the International Organisation for Migration, in support of refugees. We have made official representations to the Governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and other Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states on the Rohingya, including at Ministerial level. We are clear that Rohingya refugees should be granted the appropriate protection status and humanitarian assistance within these countries.

Israel: Human Rights and Torture

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report byAdalah - The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in IsraelWhat happened in the 'torture room' at Israel's police station in Nazareth?, published on 7 June.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of the Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights report released on 7 June and will review the findings.

Israel: Demolition

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatrepresentations they plan to make to the government of Israel about reports of plans to demolish Lifta and to construct a new settlement in its stead.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK regularly raises the issue of demolitions and forced evictions of Palestinians from their homes with the Government of Israel. The Fourth Geneva Convention, which applies to all occupied territories, prohibits demolitions or forced evictions absent military necessity. The UK is clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, evictions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The practice causes unnecessary suffering to Palestinians and is harmful to efforts to promote peace. We are monitoring the situation in Lifta closely, and we continue to urge Israel to cease such actions.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they made of reports of the use of live fire by the government of Israel against Palestinians protesting the building of settlements.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK continues to urge the Israeli Government to respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of peaceful, legal protestors.In instances where there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we continue to urge Israel to ensure that its investigations are transparent, swift and comprehensive. We also continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.

Palestinians: Land and Property

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether theystill hold deeds of land or property in Palestine from prior to 1948.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We do not have any record of holding any deeds of land or property in Palestine from prior to 1948.

Home Office

British National (Overseas): Visas

Lord Tyrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to publish a forecast for the take up of the British National (Overseas) visa over (1) 12 months, (2) three years, and (3) five years.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government’s estimate of the number of British National (Overseas) status holders who may migrate to the UK was set out in an impact assessment published on 22 October 2020. It can be found at:https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2020/70/pdfs/ukia_20200070_en.pdfWe estimate there are 2.9 million BN(O) status holders eligible to move to the UK, with a further estimated 2.5 million eligible dependants. The impact assessment suggests a central range of 123,000 and 153,700 BN(O) status holders and their dependants coming in the first year and between 258,000 and 322,400 over five years. The estimates are dependent on a range of factors and inherently uncertain.The number of applications to the BN(O) route are published as part of the Quarterly Migration Statistics and as of 31 March, approximately 34,300 BN(O) status holders and their family members had applied for the route since it opened in January.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend totake following the correspondence on the use of non-compliant equipment during Channel crossings sent to the Home Office by Charles Sharrod.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office previously engaged with the French on this issue of the applicability of French maritime regulation to migrant vessels and will continue to do so. However, any decision on when, where and how to apply French law in this area must be a matter for the French, in their jurisdiction.Our New Plan for Immigration and the legislation to implement it will bring root and branch reform to the asylum system. We will take tougher action against anyone who facilitates illegal entry, such as by piloting a small boat. We plan to increase the maximum sentence for people smuggling to life imprisonment.Border Force will be granted additional powers to stop illegal migration, including the ability to stop and redirect vessels at sea. These reforms will break the business model of criminal trafficking networks. They will deter illegal entry into this country and make it unviable.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the Home Office will respond to former coxswain of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution Charles Sharrod’s letter regarding the equipment used by migrants during Channel crossings.

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made, or intend to make, representations tothe government of France on the enforcement of regulations applicable to France on the use of small boats departing the coast of France and entering British waters.

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the French authorities on the need to take measures to ensure the safety and licences of boats to carry persons across the English Channel.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office did reply to Mr Sharrod’s letters of 13 August 2020 and 20 October 2020, which was raised with the Home Office by a member in another place.The Home Office previously engaged with the French on this issue of the applicability of French maritime regulation to migrant vessels and will continue to do so. However, any decision on when, where and how to apply French law in this area must be a matter for the French, in their jurisdiction. The Home Office is aware of France's obligations under the Migrant Smuggling Protocol to prevent illegal migration.Our New Plan for Immigration and the legislation to implement it will bring root and branch reform to the asylum system. We will take tougher action against anyone who facilitates illegal entry, such as by piloting a small boat. We plan to increase the maximum sentence for people smuggling to life imprisonment.Border Force will be granted additional powers to stop illegal migration, including the ability to stop and redirect vessels at sea. These reforms will break the business model of criminal trafficking networks. They will deter illegal entry into this country and make it unviable.

Immigration Controls: Coronavirus

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent the entry into the UK of new variants of the COVID-19 virus via the UK's borders.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We are committed to protecting the country against the importation of infections and working alongside the devolved administrations given their responsibilities in this area. Every essential check introduced – from testing to the Passenger Locator Form – is helping to reduce the risk of new coronavirus variants making it into the UK.As we integrate arrival checks with border technology, the checks will become automated and will be complemented by pre-departure compliance checks by carriers. Carriers are required by law to check passengers travelling to the UK have completed a Passenger Locator Form and hold a negative Pre-Departure Test. They are subject to a £2,000 fine if they deliver a passenger who does not have proof of a negative test, is not exempt, or does not have a reasonable excuse.Travel has been banned from red list countries which pose the highest risk. Only British, Irish and third-country nationals resident in the UK are permitted to enter and must enter the Managed Quarantine Service (MQS) for 10 days on arrival.Another layer of protection is the legal requirement for direct flights from ‘Red List’ countries to arrive into dedicated airport facilities, separate from ‘mixed’ terminals which are open to ‘Green’, ‘Amber’ and indirect ‘Red’ arrivals. Red list arrivals are securely directed to MQS hotels on arrival.Further checks are made after entry to make sure people are quarantining when required and further action may be taken by the Isolation Assurance & Compliance Service and the police. Breaches can incur fines of up to £10,000.

Cabinet Office

Coronavirus: Advisory Bodies

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether members of the COVID-19 advisory bodies are bound by collective responsibility; and what assessment they have made of the consistency of public statements by members of those bodies with the conclusions of those bodies.

Lord True: Members of advisory bodies are appointed as private individuals to advise the Government, not as representatives of the Government. The principle of Cabinet Collective Responsibility, that the Cabinet system of Government is based on, does not extend beyond Government Ministers.A Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees, published by the Government Office for Science, provides guidance for all aspects of their governance, such as those scientific advisory bodies engaged on the COVID-19 response. It provides guidance on the establishment, management and conduct of committees and sets out their relationship with the bodies they advise. Members rights and responsibilities, and procedures for arriving at conclusions and consensus are also covered in the guidance. The Code is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scientific-advisory-committees-code-of-practice

Treasury

Free Zones: Northern Ireland

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to identify a freeport withinNorthern Ireland.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: Freeports will be national hubs for international trade, innovation and commerce, regenerating communities across the UK by attracting new businesses, spreading jobs, investment and opportunity to towns and cities up and down the country. We want to ensure that the whole of the UK can benefit. We remain committed to establishing at least one Freeport in Northern Ireland as soon as possible.

Tourism and Travel: Government Assistance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a financial support package for the travel and tourism industry; and in particular, what plans they have to introduce tailored grants.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The government appreciates the significant disruption the pandemic has had on travel agents and companies facing difficulties can draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including the COVID loans schemes and extended furlough. In England, travel agents and eligible tourism businesses can benefit from the £5 billion package of grant support announced at Budget. This includes Restart Grants worth up to £6,000 if classified as non-essential retail or up to £18,000 if classified as a leisure or accommodation business. This package of support also includes the £425 million top-up to the Additional Restrictions Grant which has already provided Local Authorities (LAs) with £1.6 billion. This funding is at the LAs discretion and is intended to support businesses which are not eligible for Restart Grants, but which are nonetheless experiencing a severe impact on their business. The Government continues to review all the economic support schemes, including grant support, as the public health response evolves.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Charities: Coronavirus

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support charities help rebuild civil society after COVID-19.

Baroness Barran: The government has provided a multi-billion-pound package of support for Britain's charities to continue their vital work, and mitigate the risks created by the pandemic. Charities continue to benefit from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and many will have benefited from government grants where they have been required to close non-essential retail. This support is in addition to the £750 million targeted support package that was made available to support charities and social enterprises to maintain and reshape vital services. Guidance has been made available on a range of activities that will be relevant to charities and social enterprises, including organised events and grassroots sport and sports facilities. We have also worked with the Institute of Fundraising and Fundraising Regulator to support the development of guidance on the safe return to fundraising activities. We continue to monitor sector health closely. The government is working with charity sector representatives to support a strong and resilient charity sector.

Children: Exercise and Sports

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatrecent discussions they have had about children's participation in sport and physical activity; and with whom those discussions took place.

Baroness Barran: The Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people have the best opportunities to engage in sport and physical activity. We work closely with Sport England to review and increase children’s participation in sport and physical activity. We also regularly engage with a wide range of sport sector organisations on this issue. The Government hosted school sport roundtable meetings in March and June of this year. Both meetings were attended by Sport England and a number of sport sector organisations, including national governing bodies. These discussions focused on getting our children and young people active again as we recover from the pandemic, as well as developing a long term strategy for school sport and physical activity.

World Heritage Sites: Liverpool

Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe impact on tourism for (1) Liverpool, and (2) the wider North West region, of the UNESCO World Heritage Site status of that city’s waterfront.

Baroness Barran: We know from the excellent report prepared by the UK National Commission for UNESCO that UNESCO designations such as World Heritage status are worth over £150 million a year to communities across the UK and in its Overseas Territories, as well as contributing to sustainable development and other policy goals. We do not have a precise figure which can be attributed to the world heritage site of Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City, but we know that many international tourists are keen to visit the UK’s 32 world heritage sites, with concomitant economic benefits across the tourism and hospitality sector.

Internet: Disinformation and Safety

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking toprotect all UK citizens from online harms and misinformation.

Baroness Barran: On 12 May 2021, we published the draft Online Safety Bill, which sets out new expectations on companies to keep their users safe online. Companies will have to enforce their promises to users, remove criminal content from their sites, and protect children from harmful content including misinformation. The biggest companies will have duties on legal content that may cause significant physical or psychological harm to adults, including mis/disinformation such as anti-vaccination content and falsehoods about COVID-19. The Bill will strengthen Ofcom’s existing duty to promote media literacy to build audience resilience to mis/disinformation and support users’ critical thinking skills. Ofcom will also be required to set up an advisory committee to build understanding and technical knowledge on how to tackle mis/disinformation. The government is currently tackling mis/disinformation through the Cross-Whitehall Counter-Disinformation Unit, which develops a comprehensive picture of the extent, scope and the reach of mis/disinformation, and works with social media platforms to ensure appropriate action is taken in line with their terms of service.

Electric Cables: Seas and Oceans

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government which department is responsiblefor overseeing the maintenance of subsea communication and energy cables.

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe risk to subsea communication and energy cables, and the likely impact on the UK economy, of a disruption to subsea cable infrastructure.

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whichorganisations have responsibility for the maintenance of subsea cables into the UK; and what steps they have taken to ensure that such services are available in a time of crisis.

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given tointroducing mandatory UK sovereign repair coverage 24/7, 365 days a year, to protect critical subsea cable infrastructure.

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a requirement for a sovereign capability to repair and maintain undersea cables in UK waters; and how many UK companies are able to conduct such operations.

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK supply chain for submarine cable maintenance; and what steps they are taking to protect that supply chain.

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with organisations responsible for repairing critical subsea cable infrastructure.

Baroness Barran: The government takes the security and resilience of cables very seriously and we focus on the full range of threats and risks, including supply chain and repair arrangements. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is the lead department for the energy sector, including subsea energy cables. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is the lead department for telecommunications policy, including the security and resilience of telecommunications subsea cables.Subsea cables are privately owned and operated. Operators have arrangements in place to ensure a prompt response to damage or disruption. These arrangements draw upon national and international cable laying and repair companies. The departments work closely with the operators, regulators and others to assess risks and ensure that the appropriate mitigation measures, including the provision of specialist capabilities (such as installation and repair), are in place to enable an effective response to actual or potentially disruptive incidents. We keep these capabilities and the regulatory framework under review and engage with industry as part of this.Information on cable repairs is not held but departments regularly engage with industry to keep informed.

World Heritage Sites: Liverpool

Lord Collins of Highbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking at the UN to maintain Liverpool’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Lord Collins of Highbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether (1) the UK Delegationto UNESCO, and (2)the UK ambassador to the UN, have taken steps to maintain Liverpool’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Baroness Barran: The UK is a world leader in cultural heritage protection and Liverpool's World Heritage Status reflects the important role the city has played in our nation's history. The Government, and our Ambassador to UNESCO, are working closely with UNESCO, Liverpool City Council, Historic England and others to maintain Liverpool’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Telecommunications Cables: Seas and Oceans

Lord Harris of Haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the resilience of subsea cable infrastructure.

Lord Harris of Haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ability of the UK economy to operate effectively in the event of a major disruption to subsea cable infrastructure.

Baroness Barran: The government takes the security and resilience of subsea cables very seriously, including their operation, supply chain and repair arrangements.We regard subsea cables as critical to our national and international infrastructure and monitor a variety of risks they face. Subsea internet cables are specifically considered in the National Risk Assessment which is kept under review.